Top of the Whiplash. D&RG T-12 Locomotive #168 is pulling hard as she works westbound at the top of the serpentine grade known as "The Whiplash", near Milepost 296.8, not far from Big Horn Peak. In fact, the 9,442 ft. Big Horn Peak can be see in the distance on the right side of this photo. Engineering the route for the climb up the southeast face of the lava-capped mesa near Big Horn definitely took a vivid imagination when this railroad was built back in the 1880s. Over the space of three rail miles, the track climbs about 200 vertical feet as it works west for a mile, back east for another mile and then back west again, crossing the Colorado-New Mexico Border three times in the process.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are all that remains of the legendary Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge system. Here you'll find some of my favorites from these two beautiful railways.
